Installation
How We Install Digital Signage in Pittsburgh
What happens between the quote and the screen going live: the survey, the wall, the power, the cabling, the testing — and what we do when what is behind the drywall is not what anyone expected.
Free survey, no obligation. We tell you what the wall needs before you commit to anything.
Before anyone drills a hole
Most of the work that decides whether an install goes well happens in the survey, not on install day.
Sightlines
Where customers actually stand and look. A screen that is beautiful from the door and unreadable from the till is in the wrong place — we work backwards from the queue, not the wall.
Glare
Which window hits the screen at 4pm, and what that means for brightness. Pittsburgh storefronts with west-facing glass are the hardest rooms in the city for a display.
Power
Is there an outlet within reach, or does one need to be added? We check before quoting, so the electrical is in the number rather than a surprise on the day.
Network
Where the WiFi reaches, and whether the signal survives a wall that was built in 1930. If wireless is unreliable we say so and plan a cable.
The wall itself
Stud spacing, what is behind the surface, whether the structure can carry the load. We do not assume plaster is backed by anything.
Height and size
Screen height set by viewing distance, not by what looks tidy. Roughly a sixth of the viewing distance is the working rule — about a 40 inch screen for someone standing 10 feet away.
On install day
1. Protect the space
Sheeting and drop cloths before anything is opened. In a working kitchen or a retail floor, the mess matters as much as the result.
2. Open the wall
Only where it is needed. This is the point where a job can change: no blocking, steel studs where wood was expected, a pipe exactly where the bracket goes.
3. Mount to structure
The bracket goes into framing or added blocking, never into drywall alone. If the wall cannot carry it, that is a conversation on the day, not a screen that falls off in a year.
4. Power and cabling
In-wall where the wall allows it, surface raceway where it does not. No cable hanging loose, no extension cord taped to a baseboard, no power brick balanced on top of a unit.
5. The player
A small media player we supply and configure, mounted behind the screen out of reach and out of sight. Wired to the network wherever the cable can get there.
6. Content
Your real menu loaded, scheduled and checked on the actual screen — not on a laptop. Prices, dayparts and specials verified against what you told us.
7. Test it properly
Lettering read from the worst seat in the room. A full reboot, then a power cut and restart, because that is what happens in a real restaurant every time the cleaner unplugs it.
8. Handover
You change a price yourself while we watch, so it is learned rather than demonstrated. Then the packaging leaves with us.
What can go wrong, and what happens
Every installer knows these. The difference is whether you hear about them honestly or after the invoice.
- No blocking behind the wall. The mounting point needs structure that is not there. You get told, shown, and quoted — structural work is a separate trade and a separate cost, and it is yours to arrange.
- No outlet within reach. Adding one is minor work we can usually handle. If it needs a permit or a new circuit, that is a licensed electrician, and we say so at the survey rather than on the ladder.
- A consumer television instead of a commercial display. A TV rated for a few hours a day will not survive 16 hours, seven days a week. We will run what you have and tell you plainly that you are on borrowed time.
- A wall that is not square, not flat, or not sound. Old plaster, water damage, a wall that has been patched a dozen times. We mount what can be mounted safely and tell you what we would not hang a screen on.
- The site is not ready. No network, no access, nobody authorised to approve the position. That is a return visit, and it is charged.
What we do not do
Worth saying plainly, because it is where expectations go wrong.
- Structural work. Blocking, bracing, framing and reinforcement are done by someone qualified to do them. We mount to what is there.
- Full electrical. We do minor work inside the wall. We are not electricians and we do not pretend to be.
- Finishing. We close and secure the openings we made and leave the area clean. Plastering, drywall finishing and painting are not included.
- Mounting displays you bought elsewhere. If commercial LED screens are already on the wall we will configure and support them, but we do not install customer-supplied hardware.
- Multi-screen video walls. A single display is one thing. A bank of separate screens driven as one image is a different discipline, and we would be learning on your money.
How long it takes
A single screen is usually a half day. Two to four screens in one location is a day. Anything involving a new outlet, an awkward wall or a night-time install adds time, and we tell you which of those applies at the survey.
We work around your hours. For a restaurant that means before opening or after close, and an install that finishes at 2am is normal rather than heroic. The screen is live and showing your real menu when we leave.
After the install
We are the ones who answer the phone — not a support queue in another state. Small changes are made remotely, usually the same day. If a player fails, it is swapped. If a display fails inside its warranty, the warranty is claimed for you rather than handed to you as homework.
The same person quotes, installs and supports it
Most Pittsburgh businesses are dealing with a national company that sells the job, a subcontractor who fits it, and a call centre that supports it. Nobody who touches your screen has seen your building. We are one local installer: the person who walks the space is the person on the ladder and the person you call in year three.
That is also why we do not sell outside what we can support. If a job is wrong for us, we say so.
Where to go next
Commercial digital signage in Pittsburgh
What we install, and which screen suits which room.
Digital menu boards for restaurants
Built from your real menu, with daypart scheduling.
Indoor digital displays
Sizing, brightness and mounting for indoor spaces.
Service areas
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and the surrounding counties.